Illuminated sign



April 5, 1938. F, L, EHL 2,113,026

ILLUMINATED S IGN Filed April 2'7, 1955 l TTOEA/EK Patented Apr. 5, 1938UNITED STATES ILLUMINATED SIGN Frank L. Kehl, St. Louis, Mo., assignorto Federal Brilliant Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of MissouriApplication April 27, 1935, Serial No. 18,618

2 Claims.

My invention relates to illuminated signs and more particularly to suchsigns as used for display and advertising purposes wherein it isdesirable to have a high degree of character visibility and decorativeeffectiveness.

An object of my invention is to provide a new and improved illuminatedsign which will be efficient and attractive; another object is toprovide an advertising sign having cut out characters which areilluminated in silhouette; and a third object is to provide a sign whichwill be of cheap and economical construction, but which may be assembledreadily and easily to produce an improved and superior product.

Several embodiments of my invention in advertising signs are shown inthe accompanying drawing wherein similar characters are used todesignate similar parts: Fig. l is a face view of one form of signembodying my new and improved 0 construction; Fig. 2 is a face view ofanother form of sign; Fig. 3 is a section through one of the lettercharacters of the sign in Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a section along thelines 44 in Fig. 2.

Referring to the figures, the essential difference between the two formsof sign shown is that in the form of Figs. 1 and 3, the characters arearranged independently of the background and are not supported thereonbut in the form of Figs. 2 and 4 the characters are mounted directly onthe background, as will be more fully explained below. However, bothembodiments include cut out characters, in the forms shown thesecharacters being letters to form the word drugs, both include means forilluminating the characters in silhouette and both include a luminoustube outline of a character carried on the face thereof.

In the sign shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the characters I are carried byupper and lower rails 2 and 2*, respectively, and are positionedforwardly of a background 3, which may be of any suitable color, butwhich, preferably is treated to reflect light. Each of the characters I,as shown in Fig. 3, includes an opaque, trough shaped casing 4 arrangedto outline the desired letter, figure, or other character in cut outform. These trough shaped casings are positioned so that the closed sidethereof forms the face of the character and the open side is towards theback of the sign for the purposes more fully outlined below. The face ofthe character may be of any material and may have a strip of aluminum orother bright metal or material outlining the marginal surfaces thereofas indicated at 5.

Carried on the face of each character is a luminous tube outlinethereof, indicated at 6. While in the embodiment shown here, thisluminous tube outline is that of the character on which it is carried,in some signs it may be desirable to have one series of charactersformed in cut out shape but to have a different series of charactersformed in luminous outline 0n the faces thereof.

Arranged rearwardly of the cut out characters are means for illuminatingeach character in silhouette and in this embodiment such means include aluminous tube 1 arranged behind the face of the character and in thetrough shaped casing 4. It will be seen that when the luminous tube 1 ofeach character is energized light therefrom will be projected rearwardlythrough the open side of the casing and against the background 3 andalso the tube will project an aura of light outwardly from the edges ofthe character. Similarly, when the tube 6 is illuminated the characterwill be outlined luminously on the face thereof. Of course, the luminoustubes 6 and 1 may comprise a plurality of separate tube portions and bythe term luminous tube as used herein, I mean, the aggregate length oftube portions necessary to form the desired outline.

A distinctive result in appearance may be obtained by alternatelyenergizing the luminous tubes 6 and l and this may be accomplished by aflasher diagrammatically shown at 8. By adjustment and operation of thisflasher, the tube 1 may be energized to illuminate a character insilhouette, as described above, and then while the tube 1 is dark thetube 6 may be energized to illuminate a character in outline on the faceof the character previously illuminated in silhouette. Also, both of thetubes 6 and I may be flashed simultaneously or the flasher may bedispensed with and the tubes may be energized continuously. By combiningdifferent colored characters, backgrounds and luminous tubes highlypleasing effects may be obtained.

In the form shown in Figs. 2 and 4, one or more characters 9 are paintedor otherwise formed on the face ll of a suitable background casing Ill.The face of the casing l0, preferably, is of a dark color which will noteffectively reflect light and the characters 9 formed on the facethereof are preferably of a light color so as to have a high reflectingquality. Positioned forwardly from the face II, in the embodiment shown,are a plurality of opaque cutout charaoters l2. Preferably, the cut outcharacters I 2 are slightly smaller than the similar characters formedon the face ll of the casing l0 and are positioned to registertherewith, as shown in Fig. 2. If the cut out characters l2 are smallerthan the similar characters 9 a portion of the latter characters will bevisible from the front of the sign.

acter I2 is a luminous tube 13, preferably following the contour of saidcharacter and positioned and arranged so that when the tube isilluminated, it will, in turn, illuminate the character 12 insilhouette. Also, light from the tube l3 will be reflected by thecharacter formed on the face H of the casing l0. Preferably, asexplained above, the tube l3 and the characters l2 are proportioned sothat when the tube is illuminated it will project an aura of lightoutwardly beyond the edges of the character i2. To aid in this result,preferably, the characters are formed flat, as shown in the figures,that is, the different parts are not bent or bowed, but are arranged ina single plane. If the characters are so formed direct rays of lightfrom the tube l3 will be allowed to extend directly outwardly beyondeach character l2. Similarly mounted on the face of each character I2 isa luminous tube 14 arranged to outline the character.

As in the case of the other embodiment the tubes l3 and 14 may bealternately energized or may be simultaneously energized, as desired.

While I have shown luminous tubes as the means for illuminating thecharacters in silhouette, it is to be understood that other means may beused and such illuminating means may be positioned variously withoutdeviating from the spirit of my invention. However, in any embodiment ofmy invention, means must be provided Mounted on the rear face of eachcut out charto illuminate the characters in silhouette and also toilluminate characters in outline upon the face thereof. Other changes inthe size, shape and arrangements of the various parts included in a signmay be made within wide limits without deviating from the spirit of myinvention as set forth above and as included in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An illuminated sign including a background having a character formedthereon so as to reflect light, a fiat cut out character arrangedforwardly of the character formed on said background and registeringtherewith, the boundaries of said out out character lying within theboundaries of the character formed on said background whereby theboundaries of the character formed on said background are visible whensaid sign is viewed from the front thereof, means for illuminating saidout out character in silhouette, a luminous tube outline of said out outcharacter carried on the face thereof, and means for alternatelyenergizing said illuminating means and said luminous tube.

2. An illuminated sign including a back ground having a light reflectivecharacter formed thereon, a fiat cut out character of less size than thecharacter formed on said background arranged forwardly of saidbackground and registering with said light reflective character formedthereon, a luminous tube arranged at the back of said out out characterand to follow the contour thereof, and a luminous tube outline of saidout out character carried on the face thereof.

FRANK L. KEHL.

